Organosilicon

Trimethylsilyl iodide (TMSI) is introduced as an efficient reagent for the one-pot and direct transformation
of carbamates of unsaturated β-aminoesters into the corresponding α-methylene-β-lactams and
α-arylidene-β-lactams. The mild reaction conditions, excellent yields and easy work-up procedures make
it a useful alternative to previously applied procedures for the rapid synthesis of β-lactams from easily available
Baylis-Hillman adducts.